Improvement in railroad-rail joints



J.MC L. STAUGHTON.

lmprav emen't in Railroad Rail-Joints.

No. 132,990. Patented Nov.12,1872.

wimwsw: %/M7 @W UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN MoLEAN STAUGHTON, OF RIVERTON, KENTUCKY.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILROAD-RAIL JOINTS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 132,990, dated November 12, 1872.

. To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN McL. STAUGHTON, of Riverton, in the county of Greenup and State of Kentucky, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Rail-Joints, of which the following is a specification:

Figure l is a side view of my improved railjoint. Fig. 2 is a detail cross-section of the same taken through the line as m, Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

My invention has for its object to furnish an improved rail-joint, which shall be so constructed as to hold the ends of the adjacent rails level, so that one cannot rise above the other, so that the two ends cannot sink down at an angle with the body of the rails, and which will give the joint greater strength and equal flexibility with the other parts of the rails, and which shall, at the same time, be simple in construction and easily applied to the rails; and it consists in the fish-plates made with the fish-belly curve upon the middle part of their lower edges, and in the adjacent ends of the rails having their flanges cut awa for a less distance than the length of the fish-plates, as hereinafter more fully described.

A and B represent the adjacent ends of two contiguous rails, the flanges upon'each side of each of which are cut away for a short distance'from said ends. 0 are the fish-plates which are bolted to the stem of the rails in the ordinary manner. The middle part of the fish-plates G project downward with a fishbelly curve, as shown in Fig. 1, so as to give additional strength to the middle parts of said plates. The fish-plates are longer than the cut-away portions of the flanges of the rails, so that the end parts of said fish-plates may rest upon the flanges of the rails, as shown in Fig. 1, thus carrying the leverage of the fish-plates back to the parts of the rail that are strong enough to support it.

By this construction the fish plates are made strong where they need strength, and the bolts are relieved from having to sustain any downward pressure, and have only to hold the fish-plates to their places against the sides of the rails.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secnre'by Letters Patent- 1. The fish-plates 0. made with a fish-belly curve upon the middle part of their lower edges, substantially as herein shown and described, and for the purpose set forth.

2. The adjacent ends of the rails A B, having their flanges cut away for a less distance than the length of the fish-plates O, substantially as herein shown and described, to adapt them to receive the fish-plates O, for the purpose set forth.

JOHN MGLEAN STAUGHTON.

Witnesses:

A. M. DAVIDSON, K. B. GRAHAM. 

